Plant Green - Restoring America, One Plant At A Time

The North American continent is home to a vast array of plants. From the southern tropics and deserts to the northern forests there is flora unique to each landscape. What knits this whole American landscape together is a heritage, and at the green heart of this heritage is the garden.

To garden is a tradition that can be found anywhere there are plants and people. It was once a necessity as many families had to maintain a personal garden to supply themselves with food and medicine. This practice of survival gradually turned into a tradition of self-sufficiency. The garden became the epicenter of a heritage, where knowledge of the plants was passed down to the succeeding generations.

Today, this practice has largely been replaced by industry and technology. Most people no longer need to garden, their needs being more or less met by the market. This means that much of the wisdom of the native environment, how to grow food and the properties of plants has been roughly lost. Yet, there are still people who gravitate to the garden as a hobby or a way to find solace in nature.

Now more than ever there is a need to reclaim this forgotten heritage; to restore this part of America that is perpetually getting shoved under concrete. Unsustainable practices in the industry have unarguably proven lethal to the natural environment. Countless unique and valuable ecosystems are being permanently erased in favor of urban development, which, as we should now know, is not a sustainable practice that will benefit man on this planet in the long term.

Plants and trees will forever provide food, medicine and resources so long as we can cultivate them sustainably. With each herb or tree that is planted, a little bit of true America has been recovered. Self-sufficiency is a lost tradition that is cultivated from the land, not an unstable system.

To reclaim this American identity is to rebuild our gardens into flourishing habitats – one plant at a time. Our gardens can be viewed as a kind of life insurance plan that extends down the family line. To plant a pecan or walnut tree is to guarantee a satiating harvest for our children years down the road. This ultimately means less work for our kids, who inherit an already-established, thriving and healthy way of life. In the meantime, we can enjoy the satisfaction of restoring a green America.Red maple and other large trees also helps the planet by providing fresh air.